BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) — China’s real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi on Sunday joined a growing group of media and public intellectuals to call for using tighter monitoring standards to rein in Beijing’s notorious air pollution.

Pan, chairman of SOHO China, one of the largest developers in Beijing, initiated a public voting on his micro-blogging space at Sina Weibo to urge the authorities to use PM2.5, a widely used measurement to gauge finest particles in air, to check Beijing’s air quality. Continue Reading

YANTAI, Shandong, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — China will soon launch its fourth national survey on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) resources to secure the industry’s sustainable development, according to a senior health official.

The preparatory work has been completed and a pilot program for the survey will commence soon, covering Continue Reading

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — Chinese authorities announced on Sunday stepped up regulations over the quality and safety of functional foods, in the country’s latest efforts to address public concerns on health safety.

China will strictly follow the application procedures for entries into the functional food market. Continue Reading

SHANGHAI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — For 10 consecutive years, Shanghai men have packed on the kilos — leading to 39.5 percent being categorized as overweight and 11.2 percent as obese, with an average weight increase of 2.9 kilograms from the year 2000, according to the 2010 Shanghai National Physical Evaluation Report.

The report reveals that only 45.8 percent of Shanghai adult males are of the standard weight — a 9.1 Continue Reading

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) — China’s Ministry of Health Wednesday publicized the country’s first national standard for food nutrition labeling, which is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2013.

Bearing a standard code of GB28050-2011, the new regulation provides that food package labels will have to spell out food’s nutritional information, including levels of energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate and sodium. Continue Reading

BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — China will adhere to its family planning policy so as to maintain a low reproduction rate, said the country’s family planning chief on Sunday, expected to be the eve of the world’s population reaching seven billion.

“Overpopulation will still remain one of the major challenges to social and economic development,” said Continue Reading

BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) — China has introduced the country’s first national plan on groundwater pollution control, urging a combination of legal, economic, technological and administrative measures for groundwater protection, according to ministries.

The ministries of environmental protection, land and resources, and water resources announced Friday at a press conference that the State Council, or China’s Cabinet, has already approved the national plan on groundwater pollution control for 2011-2020. Continue Reading

by Xinhua writers Lu Qiuping, Wang Fanfan, Meng Zhaoli

XIAMEN, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) — Although they have three children, 69-year-old Xia Xiuyun and her husband insist on living independently under their own roof, in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen.

The retired couple are among the increasingly large numbers of “empty nesters” departing the Chinese tradition of reaching old age and moving to live with sons or daughters. While many in her position would have been expected to accept care from one or more of their family members, Xia and her husband are happy to live alone. “They are too busy with their jobs and their children, and we don’t want to disturb them,” Xia says of her immediate family. Continue Reading

WEIHAI, Oct. 26, 2011 (Xinhua) — A vet looks after the newborn sika deer in the Liugongdao National Forest Park in Weihai, east China’s Shandong Province. Diandian, a Taiwan-born female sika deer presented to the Chinese mainland, gave birth to a baby deer in Weihai on Wednesday morning. (Photo by Xinhua)

BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) — China’s top legislature on Monday reviewed an amendment to a law regarding occupational illnesses that sets harsher punishment for violations.

Licensing authorities for construction projects will be given criminal sanctions if their actions violate the law, according to the draft amendment to the Law on Occupational Illness Prevention and Control Continue Reading

BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — China’s meteorological authorities on Friday forecast a cold spell to sweep most of the country, dragging down temperatures over the next three days.

Temperatures in the northeastern parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the eastern parts of northeast China will fall by as many as 12 degrees Celsius, and some regions will also get hit by strong winds, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. Continue Reading

HAMI, Oct. 12, 2011 (Xinhua) — A stranded driver waits for assistance on the provincial road S302 in Hami, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Xinhua/Cai Zengle)